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PAX East Public Transportation Information
heels
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Or Everything you always wanted to know about the T... but were afraid to ask.
What is this magical “T”?
Well its shorthand for MBTA, which is shorthand for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority.
The MBTA has graciously partnered with PAX East; this means inside every pre-register mailer in addition to your badges and welcome letter there will be a Charlie Card (just one!) to make your life a little easier.
Why is this useful?
The card can be preloaded online, saves you a little time, a little cash (fare is 1.70 with the card vs 2.00 with cash), and the T pretty much runs through all of the Boston area. I’ve included instructions on how to get to the Hynes from the airport below.
NOTE
The T starts running around 5-5:30 and stops running around 12:30. So plan accordingly if outside of these hours!
But wait, only one per envelope? I hate you heels, how can my 5 friends and I use this?
If you add stored value to the card (NOT a weekly or monthly pass) there is no timeout on using the card, this means you can just hand it back to your friends and each of you can use it in turn.
If you are flying into PAX East you are likely flying into Boston Logan International (BOS).
From Airport to PAX East via the T:
The MBTA also provides accessible van service to all the airport terminals, and the Airport T station. One thing to remember however is that most Green Line stops are not wheel chair accessible at the moment.
For more information check out the MBTA.
What is this magical “T”?
Well its shorthand for MBTA, which is shorthand for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority.
The MBTA has graciously partnered with PAX East; this means inside every pre-register mailer in addition to your badges and welcome letter there will be a Charlie Card (just one!) to make your life a little easier.
Why is this useful?
The card can be preloaded online, saves you a little time, a little cash (fare is 1.70 with the card vs 2.00 with cash), and the T pretty much runs through all of the Boston area. I’ve included instructions on how to get to the Hynes from the airport below.
NOTE
The T starts running around 5-5:30 and stops running around 12:30. So plan accordingly if outside of these hours!
But wait, only one per envelope? I hate you heels, how can my 5 friends and I use this?
If you add stored value to the card (NOT a weekly or monthly pass) there is no timeout on using the card, this means you can just hand it back to your friends and each of you can use it in turn.
If you are flying into PAX East you are likely flying into Boston Logan International (BOS).
From Airport to PAX East via the T:
- Take a free bus from your terminal to the MBTA Blue Line subway station. (Bus 22 for terminals A and B, and bus 33 for terminals C and E.)
- Take the inbound train to Government Center.
- Go upstairs one level and change to any Outbound Green Line trolley (B, C, D, or E).
- If you take a B, C, or D trolley, get off at the Hynes/ICA stop. When you exit the station, go left on Mass. Ave and turn left onto Boylston Street. The Hynes Convention Center will be on your right. If you take an "E" trolley, get off at the Prudential Center stop. Go up the escalators into the Prudential Center Mall. Follow the signs towards the Hynes and Sheraton.
The MBTA also provides accessible van service to all the airport terminals, and the Airport T station. One thing to remember however is that most Green Line stops are not wheel chair accessible at the moment.
For more information check out the MBTA.
heels on
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As far as the Charlie Card goes, that's a pretty spiffy thing that is being done.
I didn't pre-register because I'm getting a media pass, so will I be able to get one of these cards as well?
We'll get our swagbags when we pickup our badges on Thursday.
The T starts running around 5-5:30 and stops running around 12:30.
This is important if you have a flight that arrives at 12 or later or a flight that leaves Boston very early in the morning you might want to plan on a cab. I was looking at some of the hotels as far as shuttle services go: it looks like the Back Bay Hilton does not have it and I couldn't find information from the Sheraton. The Westin in Copley does have shuttle service but looks like it's not free.
Anyway I'm rambling. Just thought people should be aware of the times the T runs is all.
Thanks, that was the other question I forgot to ask, lol.
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Its a version of the T Schedule where I marked the PAX Stop specifically.
edit: better
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The hard charlie cards are like reloadable credit cards. You put money on them and each time you go through a gate to get on the T, the system deducts the amount from the card.
Paper charlie cards are one-time purchases. You put x on them and you can use them until that runs out. They cannot be recharged, though, and they're much easier to ruin, so be careful with the paper ones.
There are kiosks in most stations that will allow you to recharge your charlie card.
Also, for those not from this area, the map can be a bit confusing. If you are taking the commuter rail, keep in mind that it is not part of the normal T system. The normal T system runs on electric powere, the commuter rail runs on gas (the reason why the T can shut down in a snow storm but the commuter rail is still up and running).
The map for the commuter rail can be found the T site as well. Those lines are in grey or silver, and they all end up at either North or South station in Boston. I caught many a person looking at the commuter map outside of North station when I was taking the T, trying in vain to figure out where they were because the subway map is completely different.
If you have to switch lines to get home at night, allow for extra time (I'd leave around 11pm to play it safe, especially if you need a bus on top of the trains).
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Haha ... yea, parking is very limited in MA, so garages can charge whatever they want ...
How late are you planning on staying at PAX each night? It has quite a bit of relevance on parking options.
Also - lol @ "pretty girl" - everybody knows there are no girls on the internet!
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[15:53] <+juju-work> ArsonIsFun is one of the best people I know.
actually - to clarify, a charlie card is plastic, a charlie ticket is paper
Red B/Gold Professor
[15:53] <+juju-work> ArsonIsFun is one of the best people I know.
If you're concerned about parking, most stops on the commuter rail lines (Wellington, Alewife) have overnight parking for a pretty decent fee, if you don't want to bring your cars in. I'd recommend Alewife as the best one, given it has *tons* of parking, and it's easy as hell to get to, plus it'll get you to Park Street to change to the green line really easily.
Just my two cents! Sorry if I'm repeating or stating the obvious. The Charlie Cards are a really nice perk. I've lived in Boston a while, and never got around to grabbing one.
Alewife vs. Riverside, GO!
Wellington has a decent sized parking lot, but you have to get there before 6:30am on Friday to get in. On the weekends it depends on what major events are going on, although the only times I've ever run into a problem parking there on a weekend are when there's a parade downtown (celtics or patriots celebrations).
Also, if you know your way around Malden, there are two garages just down the street from the T stop. I don't know what they charge, but I do know that on Saturdays and Sundays, the second one (farthest from the T, also has the footbridge attached to it) has free parking.
Yahoo group GCIACST
The garages in Malden aren't bad... they're actually a few blocks away from where I'm at in Medford (which, if you don't mind street parking in both places, you can find great places for free near the T stops, just be aware they aren't always the best parts of town). I'd forgotten about Malden... I always just take Wellington.
Alewife vs Riverside?!
Typically when I'm heading into the city I just park there and take the T in, unless I'm heading into Brighton or Allston which always has available parking.
As far as long term parking goes, I parked in Wellington's long term lot from 2pm on a Friday until 7/8 on a Sunday and paid only around $14 bucks (this was in the fall when made a trip to NY). So for those looking to ditch a car, it's not a bad spot.
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Cause I'm from western massachusetts along I-90, so I can easily use both if I want to. Riverside edges out Alewife imo because, oh, Hynes is on the green line?
Security has always been good, and as long as it's not bad weather the walk isn't even that bad really.
Just an option for anyone who is considering driving into the city.
Makes sense. I hate the Pike... when I lived out in Western Mass I always just took route 2, although where I lived was at the very end of route 2 anyways, so it didn't make much of a difference. The Pike is better plowed in the winter, although always crawling with staties.
Makes more sense to go to Riverside if you're doing it that way.
Riverside is cheaper, but with less overall parking. Alewife has more parking, but is more expensive, and requires a transfer at park st. station. I may not do either, 'cause I need to figure out how overnight works at Riverside.
I don't think Riverside allows overnight parking but I know Woodland does and it's not too far away from Riverside.
http://www.mbta.com/schedules_and_maps/subway/lines/stations/?stopId=15676&lat=42.333336&lng=-71.24434
I doubt any of you will have issues parking at any of the T stations mentioned in this thread on Saturday or Sunday. Friday, however, may be a problem.
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Your hotel may have a shuttle, if you're staying in a hotel. I'd recommend looking into that.
After time adrift among open stars
Among tides of light and to shoals of dust
I will return to where I began
I checked out the shuttles for the Sheraton and Hilton (and also Westin I think). It looks to me like they all have shuttle services but that they cost money. If you're interested in utilizing them I would recommend calling the hotel to check on prices.
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"The power of the weirdness compels me."
If you're staying in Danvers and don't mind obeying the Commuter Rail Schedule, the closest place to get into Boston is at the Salem commuter rail station. Here's a link to the schedule for that line for Saturday:
http://mbta.com/schedules_and_maps/rail/lines/?route=NBRYROCK&direction=I&timing=S&RedisplayTime=Redisplay+Time
PAX East 2015: -Pass [X] -Hotel [X] -Time off[X]
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Not too late, probably not past 6 or 7. I'm there as media, so I have to produce some content to justify this trip to my editor.
That might work out well. A few questions about it though: does the Salem station have a parking lot? And is it faster to take the train to the North Station, or just to drive there? Google maps says they should take about the same amount of time, but I don't know how crazy your traffic is. Thanks again everyone for all of your help!
Parking, I believe, is $5 for the day, and there are 3 lots (one in back towards the beach, one in front by the club, and one across the street that used to belong to the dog track).
Lots of parking, not too expensive, but you will do some walking and stair climbing. Also, I don't know about late night parking policies there.
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I would say that if you get the timing right, the Commuter Rail is both faster and more convenient. It's one of the few things the MBTA consistently gets right. (Which might be because they don't run it directly, IIRC...)
After time adrift among open stars
Among tides of light and to shoals of dust
I will return to where I began
For the Commuter Rail, don't bother with passes for the con weekend. I seriously doubt you'll be making enough Commuter Rail trips to make it economical. Buy individual tickets, or possibly a 10-ride pass. Fares depend on what zone you're traveling to/from. Pay very close attention to the zone your stop is in. Also, interzone passes only work between zones; they will not get you to or from North Station.
After time adrift among open stars
Among tides of light and to shoals of dust
I will return to where I began
The parking lot for the Salem Commuter Rail station is outdoors and metered. It's $4 per day, $5 if you don't pay the fee (it's a giant toll board they have at the platform where you have to put the money in, but if you don't pay, they stick an envelope under your windshield wiper and put the $5 in the envelope, which said envelope goes in a penalty box near the fare board at the platform)
...too much information?
PAX East 2015: -Pass [X] -Hotel [X] -Time off[X]
twitter: acumen101 | fb: fb.com/acumen101
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After time adrift among open stars
Among tides of light and to shoals of dust
I will return to where I began